Toy vehicle play sets in which self propelled toy vehicles, for example, automobiles, traverse a miniature roadway and are crashed into each other for demolition purposes are known. One such game is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,500 in which two self propelled toy vehicles, having crash indicating means built into the vehicles, are steered and controlled by individual players and caused to crash into each other at one or more intersections. A winner is determined by indication means on the struck vehicle only being activated.
Also known are various toy automobiles which are propelled by means of fluid flow. This fluid flow may be either directed toward the automobile, a turbine mounted within the automobile, or by means of pressurized fluid held within the automobile, controllably released through a nozzle at the rear. Examples of such toy automobiles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,740,896; 3,789,540; 3,936,053; and 4,229,005.
In addition, it is known that projectiles may be launched from a launching barrel or the like by the use of pneumatic means which build up pressure in a reservoir by action of a pump. The projectiles are then launched by quickly releasing the stored fluid pressure within the reservoir against the projectile. Examples of such pneumatic toy projectile launching devices are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,159,705 and 4,223,472.
None of the known prior art toy devices disclose the car crash set of the instant invention, wherein children may controllably launch vehicles along intersecting tracks to either collide at the intersection or continue along their tracks until they strike return means. The vehicles then return in the direction they came, either for collision at the intersection, or back to their launchers.